


I Want to Know What Love Is

by sentinel28II



Series: One Night in Atlas [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Besides Haddaway, Bumblebee - Freeform, Complicated Relationships, F/F, Love Don't Come Easy, Nuts and Dolts - Freeform, Team JNPR - Freeform, Team RWBY - Freeform, Tragedy (referenced), What is love, white knight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21967951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sentinel28II/pseuds/sentinel28II
Summary: Penny wants to know why everyone's having sex this one night in Atlas.  Ruby does her best to explain why.  Penny wants to know what love is, but how do you explain love when you don't know what it is yourself?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc/Weiss Schnee, Oscar Pine/Ruby Rose, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Series: One Night in Atlas [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575496
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43





	I Want to Know What Love Is

**Author's Note:**

> Warning off the bat: there's no actual sex in this story. It's implied (you should probably read the other "One Night in Atlas" stories first to know why, if you haven't already), and Ruby's imagination can get pretty graphic (which is why I kept the explicit tag), but Ruby and Penny don't have sex. If you were expecting that, I apologize...but I hope you'll read it anyway.
> 
> This one was hard to write, but I like how it turned out. More notes at the end why this didn't end with Ruby getting her hard drive defragged by Penny.

**_I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS_ **

**_Part V of “One Night in Atlas”_ **

**_By Sentinel “Am I Capable of Writing Short Fanfics Anymore?” 28II_ **

_Atlas Academy_

_Atlas, World of Remnant_

_Two Years After the Fall of Beacon_

Ruby Rose sat down heavily on her bed, which was stained with sweat…and other fluids she really didn’t want to think about. Penny Polendina closed the door to the dorm room behind her, and stood with a smile on her face, waiting expectantly.

The problem was, Ruby wasn’t sure what to tell her. Penny wanted an answer as to why suddenly all of Team RWBY and Team JNR were having, as she so accurately put it, sexual relations. Blake and Yang, Jaune and Weiss, more than likely Ren and Nora, and Ruby, by herself. Ruby went through some quick scenarios, which caused her cheeks to burn—since scenario building was what got her into this in the first place.

The first possibility was something sinister. It did seem awfully coincidental that, on their first night in Atlas, suddenly everyone was having sex of one sort or another. Ruby had wondered if Salem had cast some sort of spell, hoping to sow discord among Team RWBY and JNR, possibly even incapacitate them so she or her henchpeople could take the Relic of Knowledge. Ruby didn’t want to think that was true, because it not only meant Salem was capable of that kind of magic, but that she knew exactly where they were. Ruby wanted to put that down to her own sex-addled mind, since she’d had this mental image of both teams naked, writhing on the floor of the hallway, helplessly compelled to have sex with each other, while Salem stood over them laughing— _stop that,_ Ruby told herself. The last thing she wanted was to get turned on again with Penny standing right in front of her.

The second was that it was only natural. They had all just come off some very desperate battles—Haven and Argus, to say nothing of the fight against the Nuckelavee and the Apathy at Brunswick Farms. Now they finally could relax a little, in their individual rooms, and so it made sense that unresolved sexual tension between a lot of deprived young men and women might suddenly explode when it had a chance of resolution.

The third was that it was just a chain of events. Blake had apparently decided to take her friendship with Yang to the next level; Weiss had left her room to escape the noise and ended up sleeping with Jaune; Ruby had just ended up between the two rooms, and her own sexual frustration came to the fore—no pun intended. 

Ruby knew that Penny was waiting patiently for her answer, and if necessary would wait there until morning. With that in mind, she went with Option Three. “Penny,” Ruby began, “I think it’s just the fact that we’re here in Atlas, and some of us just needed to unwind.”

Penny pondered that. “Humans and Faunus use sex to unwind?”

_Okay, first things first,_ Ruby thought. “Penny, just how much _do_ you know about, erm, sexual relations?”

Penny took a seat at the computer desk, sitting primly with her hands in her lap. “Short form: sexual relations are used between human and Faunus primarily to ensure continuation of the species. The male will impregnate the female with his sperm reaching her ova, which will create a fetus that, within nine months, will be born a child. However, sexual relations are also used for pleasure, and if certain precautions are taken, no impregnation will result. Ah!” Penny said, brightening. “Tonight was strictly for pleasure—this ‘unwinding’ you talked about.” She nodded, like a pupil who understood what the teacher was trying to say. “Because Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are both females, there is no chance either will become pregnant. However, this could be an issue if Jaune Arc and Weiss Schnee did not use protection.” Ruby felt a cold sweat at that; she _hoped_ her friends were smart enough to use protection. Jaune and Weiss might make cute kids, but now was most definitely not the time. “You also do not risk impregnation since you were merely masturb—“

“Okay! That’s really good, Penny,” Ruby interrupted, blushing furiously. “Yep. You hit it right on the head. I mean, you’re correct.” She wasn’t sure if Penny’s programming included euphemisms. 

“May I ask a question?”

Ruby was tempted to say no, but it was always hard to say no to Penny. She wondered why Pietro Polendina had deliberately designed the android to have cute features, a peaches-and-cream exterior, and wide-eyed innocence. “Sure.”

“There are other ways to unwind, are there not? You could have played a video game, or read a book, or meditated. Instead, you chose sex. Why did you choose to masturbate, Ruby?”

On second thought, Ruby thought, maybe having Salem attack was the best option here. “Umm…Penny, aren’t you programmed with that sort of knowledge?”

Penny looked a bit downcast. “No, Ruby. I have a basic knowledge of sexual practices from my data banks and what I was programmed with. I can access the internet, but I am restricted from certain websites. And in any case, Ruby, it would not tell me why you, specifically, chose to masturbate.”

Ruby put up her hands. “Can we stop calling it that?”

Penny nodded. “Certainly. What should we call it? Allow me to access my dictionary—we could refer to it as auto-eroticism, wanking, frigging, beating off, rubbing one out—“

Ruby covered her eyes and wished the shattered moon would crash into Remnant. Or at least the dorm room. “Penny, is Pietro—your dad—is he okay with you talking about this stuff?”

“He has no reason not to allow me to do so. While I am in theory only a few years old, I have the body and mind of a mature young woman.” She hiccupped, and Ruby’s head instantly came up. Penny only hiccupped when she was lying. “Mostly,” she amended. “But I am meant to learn. This is how I learn.” Penny got up, walked over, and sat on the bed next to Ruby; the bed groaned with the weight, and Ruby was reminded that Penny was dense enough to survive direct hits from large caliber weapons. “I understand that you might find this embarrassing, so if you don’t want to tell me, that is all right, Ruby. I am your friend and I will never ask you to do or say something you are not comfortable with.”

Ruby sighed, and smiled as Penny put a hand around her shoulders. “Well…” Ruby made a decision. “Okay. I’ll tell you. I, um, did that because I was, er, frustrated.” Penny’s expression became confused. “Penny, everyone’s got someone but me. My sister has Blake now. Nora has always had Ren. And now it looks like Weiss is with Jaune. Oscar…I don’t know about him yet.”

“I see,” Penny replied. “Do you desire the company of the same sex or the opposite one?”

_That’s a good question,_ Ruby considered. She figured she was straight, but the fantasy she had built had included Weiss licking her nipples at the end. Still, _most_ of the time she was getting double teamed by Jaune and Oscar. “I think I like boys, Penny. Maybe okay with girls too, but mostly boys? I don’t know.”

Penny nodded again. “My analysis is that, for people your age, experimentation is by no means unknown. But to return to the original subject, you were…lonely?”

“Yeah,” Ruby replied. 

The android suddenly could not meet Ruby’s eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I can’t help you with loneliness.” Although Penny in theory did not need to breathe, she took a deep breath—it seemed the thing to do—and stood. Turning to face Ruby, she raised her dress with one hand, exposing her underwear. 

“Wait, Penny!“ Ruby put out a hand to stop her, but Penny continued. With the other hand, she pulled down the panties to expose…nothing. Ruby had covered her eyes, but peeked out between her fingers, despite herself. Where genitalia should have been, there was only smooth skin where the thighs came together. Penny pulled her underwear back up and let the dress fall back into place. 

“As I told you before,” Penny said sadly, “I’m not a real girl.” She sat back down and stared into space. “My father and his team decided that there was no purpose in giving me sexual characteristics. My breasts have no nipples, and exist only to establish that I’m meant to appear as female. I do not have genitals because I am a weapon, not a sex doll, and there were no reasons for a weapon to have that sort of programming.” Penny finally turned back to Ruby. “I'm sorry. I could, perhaps, help you with your frustration through digital manipulation.” She raised her fingers. “Though I have no programming in this regard either.”

“Er...um...” Ruby stammered. It seemed like a very bad idea to allow someone who could bench press a tank to put fingers anywhere inside her soft, fleshy body.

“If you are worried about my strength,” Penny assured her, “you know that I am in full control of my abilities. I would never hurt you, Ruby.”

Ruby reached out and took Penny’s hands. For a moment, the android thought that Ruby was going to accept her offer, and prepared herself to help, though she was not sure what she should do. But Ruby just held Penny’s hands. “Penny, I know,” she said. “You would be gentle.”

Penny was confused. Was that an invitation or something else? Was she not doing this right? Maybe Ruby needed incentive? It would be strange indeed to be offered stimulation by a combat ‘droid. “My fingers have a vibration function.” To demonstrate, she sent a small electrical charge, and her fingers buzzed like a Scroll. Ruby let go of her hands like they were bombs set to explode. “Why on Remnant can your fingers _vibrate?_ ”

“It’s very useful for opening locks. You see, I can place my fingers against a lock, and vibrate to the point of tearing the lock apart. In case I ever needed to rescue someone from a locked car, not to commit breaking and entering, though I am capable of…” Her voice trailed off at the look of horror on Ruby’s face. “I am in full control of my abilities—“

Ruby once more took Penny’s hands, and prayed they wouldn’t start vibrating. “Penny, look…I appreciate the offer. Really. But it’s not that you’re incapable of…er…stimulating me. It’s that I don’t want you to.”

“Oh.” Penny looked downcast. “I see. It’s because I’m a robot. That’s understandable.”

“Nope.” Penny turned to her, to find Ruby smiling. “That’s not it at all. It’s because I would be _using_ you, Penny. Even if Pietro was okay with it—and I’ll bet a couple of hundred lien he isn’t—I still wouldn’t do it. You’re not a sex doll, Penny. You’re my friend.” On impulse, Ruby leaned over and hugged her. She could feel the strength in Penny, the polymer myomers that formed her muscles, but her skin was warm and soft. 

“Aw, Ruby,” Penny sniffled. “Thank you. I’ve missed you so much.” 

Ruby felt something hit her cheek, looked up, and saw that Penny was crying. “You can cry?” she whispered.

“My eyes are artificial, but they still must retain moisture to keep them in operating shape. My father did give me a weeping subroutine, because he felt that it helps with deleting negative emotional data.” Penny’s eyes widened. “Oh, Ruby! That is a form of ‘unwinding’!”

“Sure, it can be.” 

“Would crying help you?”

Ruby shook her head. “I’m not _that_ lonely.”

“But you said you were lonely, which is why you…ah…self-stimulated.” Penny put a smile on it.

_Okay, Ruby, get yourself out of this one._ Ruby decided to try something: the truth. “Well, um…self-stimulation is also kind of fun.” She winced, instantly regretting it. Penny couldn’t self-stimulate, after all; she would feel left out. 

Luckily, Penny did not take it that way. “I understand. Yes, it would heighten pleasurable sensations, allowing you to achieve orgasm, thereby unwinding in a most enjoyable fashion.”

“That’s one way to put it.” A thought popped into Ruby’s head, and once more, Ruby considered the possibility of Salem casting nefarious sex spells, because there was no way in Remnant she should be thinking of something like that.

“Ruby? Are you all right?” Penny asked. “Your heart rate just accelerated, your body temperature has risen, and…” Her eyes narrowed and glowed briefly “…and blood flow has increased towards your vagina and breasts. From this, I can deduce that you are becoming sexually aroused.”

Ruby swallowed. “Penny, you weren’t about to ask me to…demonstrate…self-stimulation…were you?” She wasn’t sure which was worse: the fact that she had just said that, or that Penny was right: she was getting a bit turned on. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

Penny cocked her head to one side again, which Ruby recognized as her default mode when presented with a problem. “It would be interesting to observe, and it would help relieve you of stress.” Ruby gulped. Then Penny smiled a little. “No, Ruby. Then I would be using _you._ ”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Ruby was willing to do a lot of things, but getting herself off in front of a curious android was not one of them. She hoped. 

“You’re relieved?” Penny asked. “But a moment ago, you were beginning to…” Penny thought again, and thought she had a good euphemism. “You were beginning to get horny.” She didn’t understand that term—what did horns have to do with sex, unless one was a Faunus, and even then—but evidently it was an appropriate euphemism. 

“I don’t know what’s going on with me,” Ruby said quietly. “Seems like we’ve all gone nuts.”

“I believe you were right earlier. You needed to relieve tension and unwind.” Penny touched Ruby’s shoulder. “I don’t think you’ve completely relieved your tension.”

“No shit,” Ruby sighed. She started, wondering if Penny was going to ask something about that, but either Penny’s programming extended to profanity or she was just skipping the question for now. But it did seem like Penny was thinking.

The silence stretched for a few minutes, then Penny asked, “I think I understand why you had sex, Ruby. But why Blake and Yang? They were the first ones I heard. Are they lonely as well?” At Ruby’s absent nod, Penny continued, “But they, ah, ‘hooked up.’ I think that’s the current slang term.” 

“They love each other,” Ruby said simply.

“I’m confused.”

“Because they’re both girls?”

Penny shook her head. “That should make no difference, so no." Penny stared intently at her hands. "What is love, Ruby?”

Ruby fell backwards onto her bed and groaned. It was _way_ too late to be thinking about that definition. “Penny…”

“Please, Ruby. I know the dictionary definition, but I don’t know what love really is.”

Ruby sat up. “Sure you do. You love your father, right?”

Penny considered it. “Of course, but that definition doesn’t work in the case of Blake and Yang.”

“Stick with me, here.” Ruby stifled a sigh as Penny obediently leaned into her and 'stuck' with her. “You love your dad. I love my dad. I love Yang, because she’s my sister. Uncle Qrow, because he’s my uncle. That’s familial love.” Penny nodded in understanding. “Okay. Now try this: I love _you_ , Penny.”

Penny shot upright; Huntress reflexes saved Ruby from getting clocked in the jaw by a reinforced steel-titanium alloy skull. “You _do?_ But I’m not…I don’t…I’m not capable of—“ Penny grabbed her dress again, wondering if Ruby had forgotten something. 

Ruby held up a finger. “ _Not_ that kind of love, Penny. You’re my friend. So I love you. It’s not the same passionate love that Yang and Blake _obviously_ have for each other.” The last was said with more that a little saltiness. _Yang doesn't have to be so frigging loud about it._ “I love Nora and Ren the same way. I love Weiss the same way. And Jaune, and Oscar, and so on. That’s because we’re friends.” _Despite my crazy sex thoughts,_ Ruby thought sourly. She fought off the mental image of a panting Weiss gently suckling on her breasts while Oscar and Jaune took her at the same time. _Stop thinking about that, Ruby Rose. Besides, the logistics of that scenario doesn't even work! How would everyone even fit together there--_

“I follow you,” Penny answered, thankfully getting Ruby off that runaway train of lust, “but it seems Blake and Yang are more than friends. And Jaune and Weiss.”

Ruby stared at the ceiling for awhile. “They’re lonely too,” she finally said. “We’ve lost so much, Penny. Yang lost her arm—that was after you got, uh…”

“Deactivated.” Penny gave Ruby a quick hug. “It’s all right. You can say it.” _I don't want to say it,_ Ruby wanted to shout. _I don't want to remember._

But she had to, to make her point. “I don’t know if you know, but Adam Taurus cut off Yang’s arm to hurt Blake. And he hurt Blake enough that Blake ran away, back to Menagerie. She blamed herself for Yang getting hurt. And for awhile, Yang blamed Blake for running away. And Nora, Ren, Jaune…” Ruby couldn’t help her voice breaking. Another image, by no means remotely sexual: a dying Pyrrha, turned to ash by a smirking Cinder Fall. “They lost Pyrrha. We all lost her, but for Jaune, it was worse.”

“He loved her,” Penny stated. It was not a question.

“Yeah. Nora and Ren loved her too, but—“

“They loved her as a friend. Jaune loved her as more than a friend. And Weiss?” Penny continued.

“Weiss was taken back here by her father. She was basically a prisoner. She didn’t know about any of us, so she escaped and risked everything to find me and Yang. Her parents disowned her.”

“What about you?” Penny asked gently.

Ruby bit back the tears. What _hadn’t_ she lost? A crippled sister. Broken friends. Dead friends. An innocence destroyed in the same moment Cinder had murdered Pyrrha. A power that she couldn’t control. An enemy that couldn't be killed. “I lost you, Penny.” Now she started crying for real, burying her face in her hands. “I lost _you_.”

Penny reached out and brushed away the tears. “You got me back, Ruby.” She stroked Ruby’s hair, trying to comfort her. “Of course, you had no way of knowing. My father wanted to tell you, but you were all on the move, and General Ironwood forbade it, should you be captured by Salem.” She leaned against Ruby’s shoulder. “Please don’t cry, Ruby.”

“I’m unwinding, Penny,” Ruby sobbed, the tears running down her face. 

“Oh.”

After a minute or two, Ruby’s weeping stopped, and she resolutely dried her face. Penny waited until she finished, then spoke. “So if I’m understanding you correctly, Blake and Yang love each other because of their shared experiences, which really only they can understand. Their loving is a form of not only relieving tension, but also of forgiveness, and to comfort each other. Sex can be a way of physically expressing comfort and forgiveness. Yang and Blake wanted to reassure each other that they are no longer alone, they are no longer angry with each other, and they will always be there for each other.”

Ruby nodded. “Yep. Couldn’t have said it better myself.” _I literally couldn’t,_ Ruby added silently, because Penny had put a new perspective to Yang and Blake. Yang wasn’t fucking Blake; she was making love to Blake. There was a big difference; even Ruby knew that. She also knew Yang had never really been in love with someone that way; sure, she’d had sexual partners, but those were flings and one-night stands. Blake had been in love, but Adam probably had never really loved her back--he had wanted to _possess_ Blake, like she was an inanimate object without feelings or desires. Now, however, Yang and Blake were experiencing real love for the first time—a partner that wasn’t just there to warm a bed, or wanted to own the other. There would be bumps along the way, of course—Taiyang had once told his daughters that people had sex because of lust, but they built relationships through love. Lust wouldn’t survive the tough times, when the world fell apart; love would not only survive, but be strengthened by it. And if anyone knew that lesson by heart, it was Taiyang Xiao Long. 

“Ruby? I can see tears in your eyes again. Are you still sad?”

“Not this time.” Ruby wiped her eyes. “I’m happy. I’m happy for my sister and my friend.”

Penny gave that smile that could possibly even melt the heart of Salem herself. “I’m happy for them too.” She hugged Ruby again, tighter, but careful not to damage her friend. “And Weiss and Jaune? Do they love each other?”

That _was_ a good question. Did they? She didn’t think so, but war threw people together unexpectedly. Weiss, nervous and scared about returning to Atlas, having barely survived being impaled by Cinder; Jaune, abruptly reminded of Pyrrha’s death at Argus, also having barely survived dueling Cinder one on one. It made sense that they might seek each other out, and have sex to try and make the pain and fear go away. Ruby found herself smiling again. She understood all too well now why Weiss had slept with Jaune.“I don’t know,” she finally answered Penny. “But I’m not going to worry about it.”

Penny seemed to come to some sort of decision, because she gave a short, definitive nod. “Then neither will I.” She stood up, and smiled down at Ruby. “Thank you, Ruby. You’ve answered my questions quite well.”

“You’ve helped answer mine too, Penny. I didn’t really think of why Blake and Yang, or Jaune or Weiss, would get together tonight. Ren and Nora—sure, they’ve been together-together for awhile now, so I get them. But you made me really think about everyone else.”

“I am glad I could help.” Penny’s smile broadened, but then faded a little. “But you are still alone, Ruby.”

Ruby got to her feet as well, and embraced Penny. “Nah. You’re here.”

“But I can’t help you like Blake and Yang and Jaune and Weiss helped each other. Unless, ah…” She held up her fingers, which began vibrating again.

“Heh. No, that’s okay,” Ruby snickered. “Sex is just _part_ of love, Penny. You being here? That’s enough for me.”

Penny still looked downcast. “I have a patrol to do tonight, Ruby. I can’t stay.”

Ruby waved it off. “Don’t sweat it. Er, I mean, don’t worry about it. We’ll do a sleepover. We’ll play video games, paint our nails, and talk about cute boys!”

The android laughed. “I remember that! Yes, we will do that.” 

“I love you, Penny,” Ruby said. It wasn’t the same love as Blake had for Yang, but it was love all the same. “So good to have you back.”

“And I love you as well, Ruby. And it's good to _be_ back.” She turned towards the door, but paused. “Ruby, I know our love may not be the same kind as the others, just as friends, but…could I at least…kiss you?” Penny’s feet brushed together nervously.

Ruby hesitated, then shrugged. “Hell, why not.” She had to stand on her toes a little—Penny was just a smidge taller—but she locked her lips against Penny’s. The android’s lips were warm, but dry; naturally, she did not produce saliva. Their hands ran through each other’s hair, cupped each other's face. Ruby held the kiss for a long moment, then pulled back. Penny could not blush, but Ruby did plenty for the both of them. “So that is a kiss,” Penny mused. 

“You like it?”

Penny suddenly seized Ruby and kissed her back, hard. Then she let go with a smack, leaving Ruby in utter shock. “I did! Thank you, Ruby.” Penny skipped out the door and closed it behind her. She had more rounds to do, especially as she had not checked in with Winter Schnee as of yet. It occurred to Penny that Winter might want to know what her younger sister was up to. She would have to consider it.

Back in the room, Ruby stood slackjawed for a few minutes, shocked out of her mind at Penny’s sudden aggressiveness. She shook herself free, then turned and flopped onto the bed. She stared at the clock: three AM. Ruby groaned and buried her head in the pillows. “I wonder if Oscar’s still awake,” she murmured.

**Author's Note:**

> As I said before, this one was hard to write. That happens when the characters take over the story from the writer. It's why I was sitting at my computer on Christmas morning at 6:30, burning up the keyboard as Ruby cries with happiness that her sister and her friend have finally found love, with a little help from Penny.
> 
> At least twice, I was tempted to just go for it and have Penny use that vibration function on Ruby, or have Ruby "demonstrate" for Penny. It was very tempting, but I decided against it. Ruby's realization why her friends are making love this night needed to happen without her and Penny getting it on. Again, the characters wrote that more than me: Ruby might be tempted to show Penny firsthand what sex is all about, but she won't do it because it feels wrong to her, and doesn't want Penny to feel less than human because she can't enjoy it like Ruby. Penny's just too innocent and sweet. And while Penny is very curious as to what all this is about, she would never force the issue: not only does it go against her programming, it's not what friends do.
> 
> So I hoped you enjoyed this one. I'm having a lot of fun writing this little series, and not just because I get to write teh smexy. Should Ruby go to Oscar? I'll leave that one up to you readers. I intend to write Winter and Qrow next, because I love me some Snowbird, and there's going to be one more chapter with Blake and Yang, because the sun rises in Atlas at some point. Finally, there will be a chapter with Cinder (!), and one with Salem (!!). Uh oh. Maybe Ruby's right after all...


End file.
